The U.S. figure skater had a rough Olympics, but with social media support he has an eye for redemption in 2022.

USA TODAY Sports

GANGNEUNG, South Korea – Nathan Chen revealed that a supportive message from gymnastics star Simone Biles inspired him to a remarkable comeback in the men’s figure skating competition and has given him extra determination to claim Olympic glory in 2022.

The United States champion had a disastrous short program on Sunday, effectively ending his chances of claiming gold, but he mounted a stirring revival to place fifth after a spectacular display in the long program.

Chen, 18, revealed he was flooded with messages backing him to recover but said one from Biles, the Rio 2016 all-around winner, was especially meaningful.

“Simone Biles … reached out and tweeted me something,” Chen said. “All of that really helps. Just messages wishing me good luck for the long program and telling me to keep my head up or to put it behind me. That tomorrow is a new day.”

Chen will return home with a bronze medal secured during the team competition but is hoping for individual glory in four years, when he feels he will be reaching his peak. Some skaters will rest after the Games, but some, like Chen’s teammate and new media sensation Adam Rippon, may never skate competitively again.

Not so for Chen, who wants to start working on his explosive, difficult routines right away.

“It starts already,” Chen said about 2022 preparation. “It really started when I was a little kid, wanting to go to these Olympics and the next. Four years is not that long, so I’ll try to plan and approach that as best possible.”

Going into the Games, Chen carried a huge weight of expectation, heavily touted by NBC as a potential gold medalist and with a series of commercial deals. In the end, the pressure proved too much, but his long program spoke volumes to his talent.

“(The short) definitely was one of the lowest points in my competitive career,” Chen added. “I had never really done a short program that poorly before in my entire competitive career. And to do that at the Olympics was pretty devastating.

“Obviously I came here because I want to go on that podium. For the long, I took all that expectation, all that pressure off myself and went out there and really just enjoyed myself on the ice and realized why I’m so passionate about skating.”